New York Cosmos Joins NASL

In surprising news, the most well-known club name in US soccer history has joined the North American Soccer League (NASL).

The NASL today announced that the New York Cosmos have joined the NASL and will begin league play in the 2013 season. The NASL Board of Governors unanimously approved the Cosmos’ membership during its meetings this week in New York.

It’s been nearly 30 years since the Cosmos, an iconic global soccer brand, have played in a professional league. Yet throughout the absence from the pitch, the franchise has maintained a loyal and dedicated fan following. The team expects to announce more details about its stadium, ticket sales, soccer operations staff and players in the near future.

Over two days of meetings, that concluded today, the NASL Board of Governors also addressed a variety of league matters, including hearing presentations from a record number of potential expansion team owners and discussing possible changes to the league’s competition structure for upcoming seasons.

The Cosmos ownership group New York Cosmos LLC is an international partnership led by industry veteran Seamus O’Brien. They are committed to putting the brand back at the forefront of North American soccer. The New York Cosmos began play in 1971, spending fourteen seasons in the earlier NASL, winning five Soccer Bowl trophies and bringing some of the biggest names in world soccer history to North America. The Cosmos last won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1982.

“We are extremely proud to welcome the New York Cosmos to the North American Soccer League,” said NASL Commissioner David Downs. “As we continue to expand the league and help grow professional soccer in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean, the Cosmos brand and their strong ownership group are a perfect fit with us. The history of the Cosmos and soccer in the New York City area are intertwined. Bringing the Cosmos into the NASL is a logical next step as we embrace the heritage of our own past and now reunite the Cosmos, Strikers, Rowdies and several markets with ties to the NASL’s early days. Most importantly, we look forward to the Cosmos enhancing the quality of our league both on and off the field.”

Seamus O’Brien, Chairman of the New York Cosmos, said, “We are delighted to return to our historic home with the NASL and bring the New York Cosmos back to the playing field. We are committed to running the franchise with the highest possible standards on and off the field, and look forward to putting together a competitive and entertaining team our fans can be proud of.”

The New York Cosmos joins the league with two other famous NASL franchises — the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Tampa Bay Rowdies.

What does this mean about the Cosmos’s interest in becoming a MLS team? Does it hurt or help them? Share your opinions in the comments section below.

About The Author

Publisher of World Soccer Talk, Christopher Harris founded the site in 2005. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications. Plus he has made appearances on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT.
Harris, who was born and raised in Wales, has lived in Florida since 1984, and supported Swansea City since 1979. Last but not least, he got engaged during half-time of a MLS game.

98 Comments

joeJuly 12, 2012

This is smart Give them Good foot in to the MLS say in 2014 They
Have a real place to play not a real team

Joe. It’s going to take more than a year for this new version of
the Cosmos to make that jump. But from my point of view, I’m glad
it’s not Kemsley who’s running this. The first step going in the
right direction has been made, still alot of mud on that shield to
get back to what it should be.

I like it! I definitly like this!…….Now that the names NASL/
Cosmos / Rowdies / Strikers are back together, the question is:
Will this new NASL pull the trigger? If they go promotion/
relegation they will be the most talked, followed, the most
important league in US in no time………………not to mention
that they will get support from Fifa, Fifpro and the international
soccer family as a whole…….come on NASL!

@Roger, I don’t see what is stopping them from going Pro/Rel and
making their CLUBS independent. I’m in full support of NASL and
this is a great move for US Soccer. NASL has some revenge to
administer after USSF/MLS voted to oust them out of the Open Cup
2011. NASL can give what FIFA wants and get sanctioned D1!

@Robert…….I agree that NASL should pull the trigger. Pro/Rel
will give them an inmediate international promotional bust, Fifa
will support them, US soccer fans will support
them……………there are other benefits; if this NASL wants to
look like the proffesional league it should be, it needs more teams
on the west side of the country, now its regional composition (
Only San Antonio on the west ) makes it look kind of amateurish.
The more teams NASL have, the more professional it will look, and
travel distances could be significantly reduced…………….the
tradition of the NASL, the fact that Cosmos is back, the lack of
credibility and legitimacy of MLS with its “single entity”
abomination, the fact that there is a huge nation with thousands of
cities without soccer clubs, it all screams out that to be the
first US league to implement pro/rel is the logical next step for
the NASL

@Robert……..I think I know what is stopping them from going
pro/rel, themselves………I read a couple of things from their
commisioner, and he uses words like “products”, “business model”,
“importance of sustainability”…..you know, the kind of language
behind the old dirty trick of:.. “..but..remermber the old
NASL”…….I don’t have high hopes that NASL pull the trigger. I
keep saying that we, the fans are the key, we need to organize and
take action, if we do they could not keep sweeping the issue down
the carpet forever. An open letter to Fifa signed by thousand of
fans, adds on important newspapers, something of that sort, we need
to up the ante…………..call me a conspiracy guy all you want,
but it all smells to me like the american sport stablishment has
infiltrated our game and is controlling it from within………and
I don’t blame them, they have no choice if you think about it, they
cannot afford giving pro/rel a chance because it will change the
american sports landscape forever

Well FIFA does not do sanctionaing. That is done at the national
level. But if NASL wants to pretend it is the top league it can
feel free to do so. It can be the top league in the east. Cascadia
will crush it though.

@Roger, There are already 100’s of cities with soccer clubs but
ZERO chance of ever getting into D-1. It’s sad that US Soccer fans
are against giving all cities a shot simply in the name of
“STABILITY”.

From the cosmos web site “The Cosmos have a celebrated history with
the NASL and with its rebirth in recent years, our entry was the
natural first step of our return.” They natural first step before
MLS. Its going to happen they will be in MLS soon, the NASL is NOT
going to over take it.

Here is what I posted before Joe posted the Cosmos were leaving for
MLS someday: I don’t like this for US Soccer. The Cosmos will be
there for how long ? As soon as they can leave, that is how long.
At the very least it is their desire to leave for MSL, they are
joining the poor league because they don’t have funding and/or a
stadium. So is it bad for 3 reasons. One, they could win way too
much killing NASL. Two, they will get the press, fans, credibility
and then….leave. Three, NASL could have had a team that was
staying…………Those who like US Soccer are not for this,
(maybe for a couple of year it will be cool)…..trolls who don’t
care about US Soccer like it. Just realize they have never been on
the right side of any prediction EVER.

I agree with you. It just mind boggles me that people actually
think the Cosmos are going to NASL to stick it to MLS. There is no
solid lower soccer divisions and there is no doubt the Cosmos will
leave for MLS one day but all that does is remove another franchise
from NASL. NASL has no chance at competing with MLS for many
reasons but the one main is that US will never grant them D1
sanctioning. There is too much money invested from US soccer and
SUM into MLS. So all you pro/rel independant people can keep hoping
but reality is that MLS has the financial backing and NASL does not
touch it bot even with the cosmos.

“There is no solid lower soccer divisions and there is no doubt the
Cosmos will leave for MLS one day but all that does is remove
another franchise from NASL.” Have you stopped to think that we
don’t have a solid lower division because there isn’t a meritorious
route to US/Canada D1 status? One *MUST* spend $50+M to get into
MLS, and that money doesn’t go to make the club better, but to
Chang, Kraft, AEG, the Hunts, Drew Carey, Steve Nash etc. Maybe if
we had an independent USSF with people who understood the global
soccer market……

@theakinete……….totally agree with you……..it is what I
call the reversed logic trick, it is together with the “old dirty
trick: remember the old NSL” two of the most common anti pro/rel
arguments…………”we cannot do pro/rel because lower div clubs
are not stable enough, and not all have SSS”……..”when lower div
clubs are ready we may consider pro/rel, but not now, maybe
latter”……………..the reality is that our lower div clubs are
on the situation they are now, because of the conditions they have
been operating under for so long, completely isolated from the club
soccer world……….look at San Antonio on the NASL, and the LA
Blues on USL Pro, they are the only clubs on the west on their
leagues. How are they going to be profitable playing on irrelevant
leagues and traveling all the way to canada and the
caribbean?…..if they fold, then they use it as an argument for
“sustainability” and say “we are not ready for pro/rel, look how
unstable they are”………pro/rel will increase the number of
clubs on our lower divisions, giving us the chance of considerably
reducing traveling distances, by creating regional groups. It will
also completely change their reality by giving then a sense of
purpose.

“it is what I call the reversed logic trick, it is together with
the “old dirty trick: remember the old NSL”. Seriously dude, get a
life. Just because someone disagrees with you or has their own
opinion doesn’t mean that they are pulling tricks.

“One, they could win way too much killing NASL.” I agree with
Charles. Man U’s success has killed the EPL. Imagine how much more
popular EPL would be if they were equal with Sunderland….ESPN
might even broadcast a few of their games her in America………..

EPL as a league sucks, with Man U winning 2 out of every 3
championships. I’m not going to argue that a team that spends what
they do makes people watch because they buy good quality soccer,
but with teams able to buy titles, they are a joke league. It
doesn’t matter what the numbers say. Some of us just believe that.
If you don’t then go watch EPL.

Charles, what are you talking about? They won Apertura 2010 Title
and then won the promotion playoff to play in LIGA MX. Sounders
paid $30M to give up its Independence and tarp off the upper bowl.
HAHAHHA.

Alan- It is also possible that ManU are just really good; they have
been incredible to watch. Although, of course, they’ve only won the
Champions’ League twice in that time, so, maybe, like the Yankees;
they are just a perineal play-off qualifier.______________________
We will see what happens as Ferguson ages and the Glazers spend
less on the team.

@Tijuana Robert First off, I don’t watch American sports, so nice
try in fitting me into your cliche. I watch golf, tennis, soccer,
and rugby (and please don’t try to compare individual sports to
team sports – I know its coming). I love watching Italian Serie A.
I love watching southern hemisphere Rugby. Most of my favorite
tennis players are foreigners. Second, I don’t think that everyone
should win, but have a fair and equal chance at winning. The team
that wins should be based on talent, hard work, and desire, not by
how much is spent on players. If Man U spent about the same as
Fulham or Sunderland but won 2 out of every 3 championships, then I
would be truly impressed and actually be for that. Realistically
though, if money is not what wins the game, then you won’t see the
same team win that much year after year. Finally, soccer is a game
and a sport and not life. Plain and simple. I love watching it, and
it is great, but life? I don’t think so.

@The Original Tom Oh, I know that Man U are good. If you outspend
most of the teams year after year, you will likely win most of the
time because you have accumulated the most talent. Of course, a
good coach and other factors play a big role too, but with a fairer
budget, he would not have the same level of success. I bet even he
will tell you that. The fact that they have only won the CL that
often proves my point. On a more level playing field, they would
not be successful. Even is somehow CL was a traditional European
season (one home and one away) you would see more parity because
the spending gap between most teams involved that would be
considered in the top 20 would be much less. That is part of what
makes CL so exciting.

Alan, I agree with your point regarding the champions league. The
domestic leagues are like college football conferences, they are
lopsided, but I still find it really exciting. The fight for
Champions League births and relegation are key, of course.

NASL commissioner has said in past interviews that D2 is a natural
stepping stone to D1 for a lot of teams and that the NASL doesn’t
mind that. But this move WILL increase Cosmos negotiating power
with MLS. If they already have a D2 team out there getting the fans
excited, it will be harder for MLS to keep talking about “other
potential NY ownership groups”.

Trollers…FIFA wants two things Money and Power. The Sounders with
5k outside of MLS is less than 42k per game in MLS. If MLS makes
more money with 30-40 teams in the league, and they do, they will
throw out or ignore the 20 team rule faster than you can say FIFA
is currupt. They don’t care about all your dumb causes…only you
and a handful of others care. Once again FIFA cares about two
things Money and Power.

just a thought…………if you had arab oil kind of money, and
want to invest, betting on re-birth of the Cosmos and it great
history. What makes more sense, to pay 40 to 70 mil to the cartel,
had your club become a franchise and you an “owner operator”, and
be limited to a salary cap, or , save those millions and invest
most of if building your team, while retaining 100% control over
it, and not be limited to a salary cap?

A proper football league that’s not drowning in debt where teams
don’t spend money they haven’t earned to win titles. Participation
in a league where you can’t pick the top 2 teams 3 months before
the season starts. A chance to win the title every year. An
increase in the value of my club 5 or 10 fold. That’s what I get in
return.

it will be interesting to consider what would happen if a few of
these investors willing to “get rid of” 50/70 mil
think:……..what if we joint forces, save a few millions each and
invest it in building our teams and a very competive league.(
wheather a new league or via NASL ) ……MLS salary cap is 3.5 mil
( some like that ), lets say they each invest 20 mil on players,
out of the 50/70 mil they just saved by not going to
MLS……………….jaja……good luck wining the USOC again
MLS!……………..it would expose the fraud this USSF is, if
they keep sanctioning MLS div 1 after that.

That would be interesting but the only reason millionaires invest
stupid amounts of money is leagues like the EPL is that it is the
most popular league in the world. It has butts in the seats, eyes
on TV, and tons of high spending sponsors. The US sports media
could give two shits about soccer unless the US men’s or women’s
national teams are involved.

@CTBlues…….dont you think that the system in place in the EPL
probably have something to do with it being the most popular leagie
in the world?……………..what are the other most popular
leagies in the world?………are they open or
closed?………………..ultimately, dont you think that the
openness of international football may have something to do with
our game being the most popular on the planet?

Closed. Almost all the most successful leagues in the world are in
the US and they are closed as you call it…………..I love the
arguement that the most successful soccer laegues have it one way,
so it must be right, it is a laughable arguement. They never tried
two different systems like the US did. The US failed in one method
and I would still say that shows nothing……different
times……………then guys like ‘theakinet’ take the stupid
arguement to another level saying that the EPL is successful with
one team winning, not even considering how much that might be
holding the league back. You can’t be that dumb, so are you just
hoping we don’t think about it too much ?…………The Cosmos
winning all the time already killed one US league, if you don’t
admit that, not much point in going any further, because you don’t
know what you are talking about.

the FACT that 98.55 % (205 out of 208 ) countries in the world
adheres to the principles of pro/rel doesn’t tell you
anything?…………..doesn’t it makes you think there may be a
solid reason why this practice is so widly
spread?……………the indication that there should be something
good about it is a laughable arguement for you?…….”They never
tried two different systems like the US did”……..did the US ever
tried pro/rel?………………..there is only one thing that I
agree with you Charles, MLS should follow the NFL model. I think
they should do it openly and radically and brake away from Fifa and
do their “own thing”…..just like griridon unafiliated from rugby.

No, I think it is the most popular because it is marketed itself
correctly as soon as it was formed in the early 90’s. I would love
for pro/reg to happen in the country because I live in a small
state that happens to be smack dab in the middle of two of biggest
sports towns in the country New York and Boston and we lost our
only pro team when the Whalers moved to North Carolina, but the
problem is soccer isn’t king in this country football is followed
by baseball. I think you will have an easier time preaching to the
people about pro/rel after the baby boomer generation is gone.

@CTBlues…….so the popularity of EPL have to do with marketing,
and not at all with the fact that it is the top of the summit of a
6500 clubs pyramid (not a typo sixty five thousand clubs
)………….oooohhhh MLS is going to be one of the top world
leagues in no time, after all we have a “marketing guru” in
charge…………….marketing babe, mucho mucho marketing!

Other leagues have that same pyramid. Only like 40 of those 6500
have spent enough to make EPL. I bet if you asked the average fan,
they don’t know anything about the other 6500 teams and don’t care,
because they are not spending like Man U and Man City. Even
supporters of Sunderland in the US won’t care if they get relegated
because they will just go to another team that they can actually
watch on TV. Being the most popular league makes you the best like
being the most popular singer makes you the best, like Britney
Spears.

this is the best thing to happen to US domestic soccer in awhile.
We need to build up D2. Having the Cosmos in NASL will help NASL
grow. Now we need NASL to go into more cities where there is no
MLS. NASL clubs have an opportunity to get involved in our youth
development. NASL clubs should look into a business model where
they develop young players and then sell them to MLS or to other
leagues.Over time this will build up NASL. And once NASL is stable
we can talk pro/rel.

@andy…..you said:”And once NASL is stable we can talk
pro/rel”…….I totally disagree with that point, it is what I
call reversed logic. Let me explain why I call it that way…….a
good example is the LA Blues on USL Pro and the San Antonio
Scorpions on NASL, they are the only clubs on their leagues on the
west. They don’t play each other because the are on differnet
leagues. However, they have to travel 2 or 3 time zones to EVERY
away game. Including places like Puerto Rico and Antigua………..
A similar situation is Tampa and Miami not playing Orlando but
traveling to Edmonton instead……….an absurd waste of resources
that could be invested on the game. A huge economical pressure on
clubs that are 1 and 2 years old and play on irrelevant leagues
that are totally unlink to international soccer
structure………..without the incentive of promotion, what are
they playing for?…………how are they going to “get stable” and
build SSSs, if those conditions are not changed?……….I will be
amazed if they don’t fold on a couple of years!……….the
argument “once thay get stable we can talk pro/rel”…is the
equivalent of…..”once the deadly bleeding patient gets stable we
can talk about a Blood Transfusion”…….i hope you guys
understand why I call it the “reversed logic” argument

@Andy….I agree with most of your points but, think about it. In
order to get rid of single entity, we need to get rid of the people
that imposed it on us. Single entity is the reflection of their
American sports model heavily influenced mentality. ……..single
entity and the people that imposed it on us, is the only real
hurdle for pro/real to be implemented. Everything else is just
smoke thrown in our faces

Charles, then what is the point of MLS playing in Champions League?
Parity if fine if you are the only game in town but once you
compete internationally you get bounced. +50% of MLS got bounced
from our domestic cup why the hell waste time in CCL then if you
want parity.

@andy……just to clarify a point, when I ( and i think other
people in my camp will agree ) advocate for pro/rel, I am
advocating for the principles of inclusion and meritocracy that
pro/rel is a tool for……..it does not mean that once we decided
to go that way, we automatically start promoting and relegating
teams on a way that could be harmfull for owners, cities or our
club soccer structure in general……..there will have to be a
series of logical steps in order to do it right……..1st)get rid
of single entity……..2) negotiate with MLS owners in order to
work on a logical compensation for their entry fees……..3)
implementation which should take in consideration many factor
like:……..clarity ( Japan is an exelent example on how
transparent their incremental plan was presented )……..the
geographical size of the nation……..the quality and structural
gap among the leagues ( it would be stupid to start relegating MLS
teams right away), it should be a gradual transition……..build
up of ideal number of clubs on each division ( if you merge NASL
and USL Pro, you still only have 2 teams on the west coast;. there
is a clear inbalance)……….set logical stadia and financial
criteria in order for clubs to be elegible for
promotion………..all of this will take work, but I am sure is
not an utopia……… Step # cero is to get soccer people to be on
charge of american soccer, as long as we have leaders that are
closer to the american sports stablishment than to our game on
charge, all of this will be imposible.

yes i agree but first single entity must go and free agency must be
allowed. Every player should have the right to negotiate a
contract. So the focus should be on free agency. Once you have free
agency and are rid of single entity you will have MLS teams that
start acting like clubs. You wouldn’t have a league where teams
aren’t allowed to compete for players. This should come before
pro/rel.

“Inclusion and meritocracy? Lol, what a joke.”………..I don’t
know if you are aware that those are the principles in practice in
the World Cup qualifiers, and every confederation’s club
championship, and the Fifa Clubs World Cup, and that pro/rel is
just the extention of those principles at the national club
level…………..Now, if you think they are a joke, then you
agree with me that we should stop sending our USMNT to the WC
qualifiers?….and you agree with me that we should stop sending
our franchises to the CCL right?………..why are we playing those
tournaments if we do not believe, and do not like the principles
they are base upon?

You are an idiot. My comment was saying that your system does not
use inclusion and meritocracy, not that they are a bad thing. Get
off you stupid pro/rel soapbox. I am not against pro/rel. I am
against single-minded idiots that like to twist everything into
some black and white issue. If you can’t think for yourself, then
don’t think. Thanks.

@Alan…..when ideas are debated, you should come up with arguments
that clarify your position and fight ideas agains ideas, better yet
if they are backed up with logical arguments…..to “shoot the
messenger” is low, and does not bring anything to the
debate…….you textually said:…..” Inclusion and meritocracy?
Lol, what a joke. “…..that is the ONLY thing that your comment
said……..if you “think for yourself” like you claim, then you
shoud articulate your arguments instead of making one line
comments, and then feel ofended by the reply, only to insult using
an adjetive that fits your behavior more than anybody else’s.
…………the first time you address me here started
with:…”seriously dude”…respectfull way to introduce yourself
into a debate hah?…..if you have any arguments you will like to
debate, here I am….anybody have a “bad moment”…..any other
insult, you will be ignored……it’s your call………seriously
dude

What am I arguing again? You make assumptions and put words in
people’s mouth. Doing stuff like that tends to piss people off, and
you do it all the time. Debate? I would love to, but I am not sure
what I would be debating really, because you obviously don’t
understand my position or anyone else’s. You just want it to fit
into some stereotypical pro/rel debate, and will twist anyone’s
words to allow you to use phrases like “inclusion and meritocracy”.
So yeah, that is what pissed me off. You do it all the time, and it
warrants no respectable debate on anything. So, as far as insults
go, your attitude towards debate and discussion is insulting, and
definitely warrants a lot of “seriously dude” comments. As far as
coming up with ideas to debate, that is pointless to you. You will
just make everyone into what you want them to be. That is not a
debate. That is a way to piss people off. If you can’t see that,
then you have a problem that I can’t help you with.

Alan, if you give me an example of when I have put words on
people’s mouth and you are right I will apologyse…….but, you
could go back to your own post and see that it textually said:
“Inclusion and meritocracy? Lol, what a joke.” (I copy and pasted
this)…….what interpretation do you get from it?…….you only
explained yourself after on your insulting answer…….If it is ok
with you we could try to restablish the debate……..you are right
when you say that I over do the pro/rel thing, I do it
intentionally because I thing it is the pink elefant on the room of
american soccer. Thats why I use (Pro/Rel) on my name……….I
think you are wrong you say:”…..to allow you to use phrases like
“inclusion and meritocracy”…….it sounds like I use empy
phrases, but I have explained a few times on this blog what I mean
by “inclusion and meritocracy”. They are not empy words for me at
all…………inclusion and meritocracy are principles the make
clear what are the philosophical diferences between our game and
american sports. I usually use the World Cup as an example of that.
More nations play the Fifa World Cup (208 on the last), than the
United Nations have members (192 last time I checked
)……..inclusion and meritocracy are the spirit of our game and
single entity is in total contradiction with that spirit, that is
one of my basic, recurrent arguments………..Alan, I would like
to know:….do you disagree with my position about inclusion and
meritocracy being in contradiction with single entity?…..If you
do, why?

Are you assuming that I am for single entity? Are you assuming that
I am against “inclusion and meritocracy” just because I don’t
believe that your ideas have any thing to do with that? If you are,
why?

I could care less either way really, but I can see it being a good
thing if implemented right. As long as we don’t end up with teams
buying championships or playing soccer in the snow, then I am fine
with it.

I’m not being boxed into a corner by a troll. Its not a big issue
for me, and I will support MLS regardless of whether we have free
agency. I am all for it as long as there is financial fair play
involved. Teams buying championships and playing a summer sport in
winter weather are the issues that I care about. Sorry if that is
not good enough for you.

@Alan…..tijuana Robert anticipated me. I was going to say the
same thing……on your first post your point was EPL=joke. clubs
buy titles ( I partially agree but it is a strech ), I am against
financial disparity…………then on another post you said that
you don’t follow american sports……….that totally confused me
because those are arguments usually used against pro/rel and pro
single entity, by people that VERY frequently end up telling us how
much they love the NFL, and the american sports model in
general………..then, after we manage to restablish comunication
( which I am glad for ), then you asked me if I asume you are pro
single entity and/or against inclusion and meritocracy just because
you think that my ideas have nothing to do with inclusion and
meritocracy !?..Without clarifying your position, you throw
questions back at me!?…….shouldn’t you clarify first why you
think that pro/rel (which is what I advocate) is not about
inclusion and meritocracy?……….you are pasionate about
financial fairness, but will support MLS regardless and couldn’t
care less if it does free agency or not !!??………my point: in
order for this debate to be healthy ( even though we may still
disagree after all ), I think you should argument your positions
better

Roger, you are really grasping for straws. I will start at the top.
Yes, EPL is a joke league because teams buy titles. Is there good,
quality football played? Without a doubt, but a league should be
competitive. If not, then people just care about matches of the top
teams like I do. I care because the quality is high. It better be
for as much as they pay. As a league, its pretty dumb. As far as me
following American sports, no I don’t. You are AGAIN trying to lump
people into a category. You CAN think that there are good things to
see in multiple systems. I just don’t buy the premise of your
question. It is meant to box me into a black and white corner.
Sorry, not falling for it. Also, I have NEVER said that I am pro
single-entity. Not once. I have never said that I am against
pro/rel. I see positives in both pro/rel and in a bigger league. My
comment about inclusion and meritocracy was not in relation to
pro/rel in general, but to the way that you view pro/rel (poor
teams that have no chance in winning fighting just to be included,
automatic up and down, 40 out of 6500 teams ever making it to the
top flight, basically the EPL model). Pro/rel COULD work if done
right, but so can a bigger first division, but if you want to box
me into a corner then ok. For me to support pro/rel, it wouldn’t be
about money, teams that come up would have to beat the teams that
go down to do it, and every team would have an equal chance of
going up and of going down. Honestly, I just don’t lose sleep over
pro/rel. Sorry if that doesn’t fit into your cliche, but I will
support MLS either way. It doesn’t mean that I support everything
that they do. It means that I support the players, the fans, the
teams, the play on the field, and the growth of the sport in
America. To give a crap about the growth of soccer in America, you
have to support it and be critical of it when necessary. You can be
an MLS fan and desperately want to see pro/rel. Do I support free
agency? I don’t see why not. Do I support a rich owner buying up
all the talent. Hell no. As for the NFL, I HATE NFL. It is the most
boring thing on the planet to me. I do think that their system
works good though and that there are things that can be learned
from them just like there are things that can be learned from EPL.
I hate NFL because American football the game itself is stupid,
whatever system they have. And yes, you assume a lot of things. You
ask questions like you assume you already know the answer. So, I
tried to hit up every point that you asked about. If you need
clarification let me know. Not everything is black and white to me.
Here is my vision of an ideal MLS the best that I can describe it.
A reasonable amount of financial fair play. A higher salary cap,
and one that goes up much faster than it is now, but not too fast
just yet. I would say at least a million or 2 a year, if not more
as long as it isn’t hurting the league. Clubs/franchises/whatever
get to act more independently within appropriate financial rules.
Right now, more cooperation with the NASL and USL allow the
reserves to play in those leagues. Better academies and incentives
for them, but also incentives to support college soccer. I honestly
don’t know if we really need a draft. As long as there is financial
fair play, I don’t see the need for it really. The calendar should
remain spring-fall for obvious reasons, although adjustments should
be made to accomodate international play a little bit better.
Designated player rule is fine as is. Play-offs should stay.
Conferences should stay, although there was an intriguing article
written months ago about how having a conference phase and a cup
phase. The schedule should be unbalanced due to travel. The US Open
Cup should be patterned after the Coppa Italia and FA Cup. The
Supporters Shield should stay, but the MLS Cup should be the
champion. It should be home and away including the final. Did I
forget anything? Let me know. There are things that can definitely
change, but there are good things that are done right. Games are
exciting to go to, but could be even better. I think that fan
support is more essential than pro/rel, and no, I don’t tie the two
together. There are fans that aren’t too snobbish not to support
the league but also protest for pro/rel at the same time. Those are
the people that get listened to. I think that everyone knows that
those that criticize all of the time and never praise will never
become fans under any circumstances. If pro/rel came to MLS
tomorrow, then MLS will need to switch their calendar to match EPL
too, and lift salary caps like EPL too, and end the play-offs, etc.
Those fans will NEVER be happy, and it will be beneath them to
support our “Mickey Mouse” league until it is a carbon copy of EPL,
and even then I doubt that they will support it. That’s just my
opinion, but at least I have my own.

Alan, you’re a tennis fan. How should tennis limit Roger Federer’s
level of play since he has been #1 for +280 consecutive weeks? Or
should other tennis players work harder and train harder to beat
this guy? Don’t you get tired of him winning so many titles? Don’t
other players deserve a shot to win titles because…it’s not fair
that he gets to win so much?

Federer has been number one for 280 weeks in a row ? Even after
Nadal won The French Open ? Stick to not knowing anything about
soccer Robert……………………RF didn’t buy a championship,
it is not an unlevel playing field, I am fine with it being decided
by playing in a fair competition………MLS style baby !

Yeah, seriously Robert, you’re an idiot for that comment. He does
as well as he does based on his athletic ability. Please reread my
post where I said that I have no problem with one team dominating
as long as its not at an unfair advantage due to money. National
teams aren’t purchased, but developed. Tennis players aren’t
purchased, but developed. Federer is probably the greatest tennis
player of all time and has earned his number 1 streak. Now if
tennis was a team sport and Fed, Nadal, and Djokovic were on a team
because some rich owner purchased that team, then that would be
stupid.

Alan, all soccer players do well because of their athletic ability
and compensated for that ability, just like Federer. I can toss
huge amounts of money at you but it wouldn’t change that you’re an
idiot. So you’re in favor of individual sports being uncapped while
punishing team sports. Ok, that it explains everything

This is WAY over your pea-sized brain. WAYYYYYYY over. Federer
doesn’t win because he has more money. Man U wins because they have
more money. Nobody is limiting a team’s athletic ability. Nobody is
capping an individual player’s salary. I am not for that. Pretty
simple stuff for a fifth grader to understand.

Alan, I agree the tennis analogy is flawed; but with ManU, the
success is due much more than money, the success breeds itself.
ManU has developed a number of good players from its academy, and
also buys young (like C. Ronaldo, for example). I think college
football is a better comparison. And again, I think it will be
really interesting to see what happens post Ferguson.

Would Man U do the same with half the spending? Would anybody that
doesn’t spend as much as them be able to compete for the EPL title?
That’s all I am asking. Their winning is totally based on money.
It’s great that they have developed players, but it still goes back
to the money. My guess is without Ferguson they will have similar
success if they spend the same amount. They will buy a great
manager and the best players. They will have the players that teams
like Stoke and West Brom can’t compete for. They might even buy
their best players as well. They will eventually do good again like
every other team that spends as much as they do. I do respect where
you are coming from though. I’m no Man U fan, but it would be
ridiculous of me to say that their isn’t positives there too. Its
the stupidity in the league more than anything that I don’t like. I
also give Ferguson credit for realizing that FIFA should switch to
a spring/fall calendar. He’s a good guy, really smart, and a good
manager. Credit where credit is due.

USSF should brake away from Fifa. Our leaders mentality is so alien
to our game culture that I believe the differences are
irreconciliable……….think about it, we wouldn’t have to do
much to be like the NFL…….we practice single entity (just like
them), franchises instead of clubs, salary cap, draft, unbalanced
schedule, All Stars game, ( i don’t even want to get started on our
play-offs)………… they wouldn’t even need to change
commisioner, it comes from the NFL!…(very convenient
ah?!)……….if our “leaders” stop sending the National Team to
qualify for the World Cup, stop sending MLS franchises to the CCL
and declare MLS Cup the mayor and only trophy there is, no
international competition at all ( end of the road) ……..then
MLS will be very very similar to the NFL , don’t you agree?

That the the 1994 WCup was the most attended ever and MLS has to be
the fastest growing league in the world…….FIFA soft, no that is
not the right word, Power and Money…..Bingo……..to think that
FIFA cares about Pro-Rel over non Pro-Rel, Academy over College
development, Two team leagues over a parity one, etc is the most
moronic thing anyone could think. I am one of the few over the last
40 years that care at all about US Soccer without a financial
reason to do to. FIFA ?………give me a break.

The problem with the college game is that it is strapped down by
NCAA rules. All the college soccer teams need to break away from
the NCAA and join one of the amateur leagues like BYU’s soccer team
did.

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